New 'Blue Lives Matter' Bill Adds Police as Category Under Hate Crimes

And, surprise, the Anti-Defamation League is not happy.

5.23.2016 

 

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 Trey Sanchez 

 

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Police officers in Louisiana are set to receive another layer of protection from state lawmakers who are adding them as a category to a hate crime law already in place that  normally only protects minorities. 

Known as the "Blue Lives Matter" bill, it's a first-of-its-kind legislation, as reported by theNew York Daily News. It was issued at a time when law enforcement officers have increasingly become targets from an untrusting public. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards is expected to sign the bill intended to weigh attacks against police officers, or other emergency personnel (medical or firefighter) as hate crimes.

The author of the bill, Republican State Rep. Lance Harris, spoke about HB953:

“There is a concerted effort in some areas to terrorize and attack police and I think this will go forward and stop that. In the news, you see a lot of people terrorizing and threatening police officers on social media just due to the fact that they are policemen. Now, this (new law) protects police and first responders under the hate-crime law."

But speaking out against the "Blue Lives Matter" bill is the Anti-Defamation League, which believes this is confusing what constitutes a hate crime and is unneeded alongside other laws already on the books. ADL's Regional Director Allison Padilla-Goodman stated in a release:

We are not happy that it is being signed into law. The bill confuses the purpose of the Hate Crimes Act and weakens its impact by adding more categories of people, who are already better protected under other laws.

Hate Crimes are designed to protect people's most precious identity categories ... like race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, and gender identity. Proving the bias intent is very different for these categories than it is for the bias intent of a crime against a law enforcement officer.

The legislation was written by Rep. Harris shortly after Texas Deputy Sheriff Darren Goforth was targeted and executed while filling up his patrol car last August. Goforth was shot 15 times from behind and as the suspect stood over his motionless body.  

If the governor signs the bill, Louisiana will be the first state to add this type of legislation to its books.